Square Roots/Transcript
Transcript Title text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby. Tim and Moby are standing on a baseball field. There are floodlights and a scoreboard behind them. Moby tosses a ball to himself while Tim reads a letter. Text reads as Tim narrates: Dear Tim and Moby, what's a square root? From, BB. Moby yanks a clump of grass out of the ground. He beeps and points at the roots dangling from the soil. TIM: Hey, we're in the math section, remember? A square root is one of two equal factors of a particular number. A label appears, reading, factors. TIM: Take the number 9. On-screen, a 3 by 3 panel of floodlights appears. The lights turn on, 1 row at a time. TIM: To find the square root of 9, we have to think about which two identical numbers can be multiplied together to make 9. On-screen, the lights are replaced by 9 dots. They flash, 3 at a time. TIM: 3 times 3, or 3 squared, equals 9. On-screen, all 9 dots flash. An equation appears next to them, reading, 3 times 3 equals 9. TIM: So the square root of 9 is 3. An equation appears, reading, the square root of 9 equals 3. TIM: 9 is also called a perfect square because its square root is an integer, a whole number. A label appears, reading, perfect square. Moby beeps. TIM: Well, that’s true. Negative 3 is also a square root of 9, but usually when we talk about square roots we’re looking for the principal square root, which is a positive number. An equation appears, reading, negative 3 times negative 3 equals 9. An equation appears below that, reading, 3 times 3 equals 9. A label reads, principal square root. Tim: Hey Moby, what‘s the area of this baseball diamond? Moby looks out over the field. He beeps. TIM: About 900 square meters. This "diamond" is actually a square with four sides of equal length. On-screen, an overhead view of the baseball diamond appears. A square is traced over the base paths. The field disappears, leaving only the square. Moby beeps. TIM: Well, we know that the formula for a finding a square is area equals base times height, right? On-screen, the measurement, 900 meters squared, appears inside the square. An equation appears next to the square, reading, a, equals b, times h. TIM: That means we can find the square root of the diamond's area just by measuring one of the sides. On-screen, the measurement, 30 meters, appears on one side of the square. TIM: The square root of 900 square meters is 30 meters. On-screen, an equation appears, reading, the square root of 900 square meters equals 30 meters. TIM: Let’s check it out. 30 times 30 equals 900. An equation reads, 30 times 30 equals 900. TIM: Yep. 30 squared is 900; it works! Sometimes you might need a calculator to find a square root, but if the number's a perfect square, like 9 or 16 or 25, you can figure it out on your own just by thinking about it for a bit. On-screen, Tim holds up a calculator. Groups of dots arranged in perfect squares appear around his head: 3 by 3, 4 by 4, and 5 by 5. Moby beeps and points down. There's a group of plant roots arranged in the shape of a square. TIM: A square… of roots. Moby beeps. TIM: Yes, I get it. Moby raises his arms and does a little dance. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts